On one hand, it’s hard to believe that MySpace endorsed or even saw this advertisement for cell phone ringtones that it’s been displaying on their web page. On the other hand, this sort of big-lipped, bone-through-the-fro depiction of an African hasn’t been acceptable since some of Louis Armstrong’s more colorful Max Fleischer appearances.

As Stay Free Daily puts the problem with MySpace’s ugly, ugly templates:

One of the reasons that the templates are so horrible is that they have to accommodate stupid animation games for a ringtone company. Take a look at the latest contest. You play the “savage” – I leave it up to you to decide whether this is more or less racist than playing a gorilla trying to hit a savage with a coconut.

I’d say less, except that, by dint of the ring tone company’s astonishing racial insensitivity, I’m pretty sure they intended both the monkey and the African to be the same species. So equal.

Racist MySpace [Stay Free!]

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